WTC buildings are in danger of being canceled

[JohnFlint1985]

WTC buildings are in danger of being canceled



PA fires the first shot at Silverstein...

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/...yscrapers.html

Port Authority wants to dump three of five proposed skyscrapers for WTC site

BY Douglas Feiden
May 11th 2009

The incredible shrinking World Trade Center will be cut back from five iconic skyscrapers to just two signature towers under a new Port Authority plan, the Daily News has learned.

Bludgeoned by recession and a war with developer Larry Silverstein, the Port Authority is proposing halving the office space it will build at Ground Zero - from 10 million square feet to 5 million, sources familiar with the plan say.

The sources say the agency's new vision for the site calls for scrapping one tower that would have been taller than the Empire State Building and nixing two others that would have dwarfed the nearby Woolworth Building.

In place of two Silverstein behemoths, each designed by a British lord and soaring 79 stories, the PA would erect a pair of short, squat buildings no taller than four or five floors - coined "stumps" - that could be used for retail shops, according to the proposal.

The vastly scaled-back site plan was disclosed to The News hours before Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver on Friday branded budget-busting delays and cost overruns at the 16-acre site an "embarrassment to our city, our state and our nation."

Mayor Bloomberg promptly followed up by inviting all warring parties to a summit meeting this week.

End of master plan

Revamping the sacred spaces where nearly 3,000 people were killed on 9/11 marks a dramatic break from the original 2003 Daniel Libeskind master plan, which called for a row of cascading office towers to replace the 10.4 million square feet of office space destroyed by terrorists.

Although the Freedom Tower will still climb to its symbolic 1,776 feet, and the Memorial will occupy the heart and soul of the site, the showcase buildings designed by world-class architects - on which Silverstein has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars - will be absent.

"It's getting smaller and smaller and smaller," said Enrique Saurez, a dishwasher from Venezuela who worked at Windows on the World, where 73 employees died. "What happened to their so-called master plan?"

What happened was a calamitous credit crisis that dried up bank financing for Silverstein and a fiscal crunch that has led to falling revenues at PA bridges, tunnels and airports - all amid an increase in borrowing costs.

With a squeeze on cash, lenders, Wall Street tenants, the agency and the builder launched a new round of heated talks to determine exactly who will build what - and on what terms it will be financed.

The result is a PA proposal that would:

- Reduce Tower 2, a planned 79-story, 1,270-foot Silverstein building designed by Lord Norman Foster, to a glorified, prettied-up stump.

- Effectively strip control of 71-story, 1,137-foot Tower 3, designed by Lord Richard Rogers, from Silverstein and reduce it to another stumpy building.

- Abandon all plans for Tower 5, slated to go on the toxic Deutsche Bank building site, for the foreseeable future.

- Underwrite about $1 billion in financing costs and rent abatements for Silverstein on 64-story, 975-foot Tower 4, which is the only building he'd get to construct.

- Go full steam ahead on Tower 4 - but force Silverstein to surrender most of his development fees, insurance proceeds and fine revenues in return.

The PA wouldn't comment on its specific proposals.

"We're committed to rebuilding downtown," said Stephen Sigmund, the authority's chief spokesman.

He said limited public resources were being directed toward "keeping the memorial and other public projects moving forward" - and that office and retail space would be built "to meet the market."

Screws put to Silverstein

Silverstein was initially entitled to build five buildings and 10 million square feet on the site, but agreed in 2006, under enormous political pressure, to surrender the Freedom Tower and one other building. He was also ready to give up one more tower - but not two.

"Our compromise proposal - under which we would own two buildings with [up to] 4 million square feet - is fair, especially since the Port Authority has collected more than $2 billion from Silverstein since 9/11," said Janno Lieber, president of Silverstein's World Trade Center Properties.

"Completing two buildings will assure that the WTC site is a finished, attractive and exciting place that helps - rather than hinders - downtown's revival," he added.

Sources familiar with Silverstein's position complained that the PA is acting unfairly both in setting the financial terms and in mothballing two Silverstein buildings.

A hefty chunk of Tower 4, the lone remaining building built solely by Silverstein, would be occupied by the PA, which would pay below-market rent, they point out. The agency is offering to hike its payments as part of the deal.

New delays to the long-stalled project loom, these sources warn: The PA's plan for stumps - to support retail and serve as stand-ins for towers that could one day be built on top of them - could take some two years to redesign and reengineer.

Since stump construction would take place in the same area as below-grade work on the $3.2 billion Transportation Hub, it could push back that project, now slated for completion in mid-2014, even further, these executives predict.

[nygirl]

We deserve better then this. Down with the Port Authority!

[VelesHomais]

Shame.

[Rasputin1970]

I can't believe this

[JohnFlint1985]

Originally Posted by nygirl

We deserve better then this. Down with the Port Authority!

The trouble with almost any construction in this country is that almost no one has any vision anymore. So except for the handful of buildings with really bold statement - everything else is at most mediocrity and it makes me very sad. I truly hope this place will be spared the same mediocrity as we got in so many places. This country deserves better.

p.s. Obama is giving money to all these crooks in banks - maybe he should consider give it to such a iconic construction - it is a much better project then supporting crooks.

[redbaron_012]

Wasn't the ESB built during the height of the great depression. It made work for many unemployed and although stayed pretty empty for many years now stands as a NY icon. The WTC project would do the same thing for NY now and maybe when finally complete this Financial mess would be on the wane. Guess no-one wants to stick their neck out at the moment....you need decisions with a great vision of future prosperity.....there will be.....wont there ? another negative for NY is the symbolism of this project being cut back.....it reads for the whole country. Just like the original WTC did for the terrorists.

[JohnFlint1985]

Originally Posted by redbaron_012

Wasn't the ESB built during the height of the great depression. It made work for many unemployed and although stayed pretty empty for many years now stands as a NY icon. The WTC project would do the same thing for NY now and maybe when finally complete this Financial mess would be on the wane. Guess no-one wants to stick their neck out at the moment....you need decisions with a great vision of future prosperity.....there will be.....wont there ? another negative for NY is the symbolism of this project being cut back.....it reads for the whole country. Just like the original WTC did for the terrorists.

That is the most important part of this whole idea. You don't cut on the project when it involved so many dead people and over which we are waging (justified or not) two wars as well as world wide effort to hunt terrorists. This is simply not just about money and office space - it is about the spirit of this country which found strength in itself to rise again from the ashes. So once I hear for the last 8 years all these never ending talk and no really big achievements and results - it makes me, not sad any more, but angry. All of us know, but we don't want to admit to the fact that the construction there was agonizingly slow - but we keep telling to ourselves and to the world (even though we don't completely believe in this notion ourselves) that this place has a lot of sensitivities and it simply cannot go any faster. but guess what - now it seems it will not go forward at all due to our own stupidity.
And honestly I am fed up by that. Enough is enough - either we build and be a leader of the world or we just make a big cemetery there and admit that we are beaten by all these scumbags.

[New Jack City]

Here's an idea, scrap three and make the other two double the height and exact same size...wait a second...

[JohnFlint1985]

Originally Posted by New Jack City

Here's an idea, scrap three and make the other two double the height and exact same size...wait a second...

Well - from the standpoint that you should create back 10 million square feet of office space - this would be a good idea. But it was decided that we should go with the new WTC instead of just building a copy (better, stronger) of former twins to the side of the original footprints. I bought into the idea of getting all the new WTC since it is clear that it has more urban planning and more public space. Also it is more people friendly version of WTC. But I guess now we are getting some parody on what was supposed to be built.

It was also insisted that the new WTC should be filled with symbolism - hence 1776 ft height and "wedge of light" between the towers 2 and 3 going exactly into the memorial exactly at the time twins were hit by the planes. I guess all that is BS now?

[Zenith]

Sorry to hear this guys. As a Brit with a sister capital, and as a human being.

[3tmk]

I wonder what TalB would have to say about this


Well, I have long wanted them to scrap all building plans, and instead leave the area open and empty, no need to cram more buildings, when it's a perfect place for a great monument on a human scale. Instead they just wanted to build as much office space as possible.
And it appears that this new plan might be even worse, we'll get these "stumps" just to fill up retail space, the urban version of a big-box store.

[philvia]

not sure whose vision was worse.. yours or talb's

[3tmk]

Originally Posted by philvia

not sure whose vision was worse.. yours or talb's

and what's your brilliant vision, Forrest?

[philvia]

i'm happy with what is already planned and u/c.. but to expect the entire 16 acres to be a park in the center of LOWER MANHATTAN is insane. I suppose if manhattan was bombed in WW2, you would have wanted the majority of the island as a large nature resort?

[3tmk]

no, but I would have expected a large part to be left as a testament of the event.
And you got me wrong, I am for building one new supertall, I am against having the whole plot being crammed as much as possible. Well, I was against all the original freedom towers too, and although I still think the final design isn't worthy of its cause, and not tall enough, it's decent enough to be in the skyline.

16 acres might not be that small, but had they kept the original Path station, and the FT, it's taking some space, and it's leaving enough for the huge crowds that will gather there.

[JCRM2]

Wow, what a damn shame.. They are treating this project like garbage from day one. I don't understand how back in the late 20's early 30's, they built the ESB within 2 years while the WTC is taking much more. Like are u serious. To me this is total disrespect for the ppl who died on that day. It's also disrespect to the city of NY. I just don't understand how they had money to built 2 baseball stadiums, which ppl can't even afford a seat and not this project. At the end of the day, if it's that serious, then they need to stop wasting ppl time N just cancel the whole project and leave that hole as an dumping ground for the city's garbage.

[JohnFlint1985]

Originally Posted by 3tmk

I wonder what TalB would have to say about this


Well, I have long wanted them to scrap all building plans, and instead leave the area open and empty, no need to cram more buildings, when it's a perfect place for a great monument on a human scale. Instead they just wanted to build as much office space as possible.
And it appears that this new plan might be even worse, we'll get these "stumps" just to fill up retail space, the urban version of a big-box store.

I am all for open space and people friendly environment - but not here!
besides the park around the memorial will be quite large, so no point in being upset. as for supertalls - the problem from the beginning was that PA wanted to replace all 10 million sq ft of the office space. so either they had to build 2 higher structures to accommodate 200 ft of virtually nothing in the bottom of the tower or they had to break it into 3-4 buildings crammed around the footprints of the original place. they went with second idea and I from the beginning was thinking to myself: "this is too much for such a space. too much activity is being put in not such a large space. Also too many cooks in one kitchen with different ideas of what should be done." memorial. office towers, freedom museum, performing arts center, big underground mall, large subway station, path station, park, bus station for tourists and etc - it was a mistake from the beginning trying to squeezes so much in order to satisfy all critics and tastes.
the results we see today. I support the current design mostly from the understanding that if it will not be build today - it will never be build.

[JohnFlint1985]

Please welcome our new supertalls (courtesy of Port Authority) - two 5-6 stories shopping centers instead of tower 2 and 3 at WTC

[redbaron_012]

Now thats what I call a cutback !!!!!!

[JohnFlint1985]

Originally Posted by redbaron_012

Now thats what I call a cutback !!!!!!

I call it a fuc*ing disgrace